Snubber



C. E. TACK SNUBBER Filed July 10, 1940 Humm.;

1NvENToR CCI/' E Tac/6,

. much as the rubber must be conditions sometimes Patented Dec. 14, 1943 SNUBBER Carl E. Tack, Chicago, Ill

Steel Foundries, Chica New Jersey assignor to American I go, Ill., a. corporation of Application July 1o, 1940, serial No. 344,674

` 2s claims. (ci. 267-9) My invention relates to a friction absorbing device of form particularly suitable for use in a railway car truck, as for example in replacement of a standard coil spring. It will be understood, however, that the device aiordscertain novel characteristics which may be adapted for useunder other conditions where it is desired to secure a substantially constant frictional absorption under conditions of varying load.

Under actual service conditions it has been observed that many friction absorbing devices build up capacity toward the end of the stroke to such an extent as to give shock characteristics to a spring group in which they are used and thus sometimes injure lading `and inevitably increase the wear and tear on rolling stock.

A primary object of rny invention is to produce a form of friction.- absorbing device which will furnish substantially constant frictional absorption throughout the stroke to which it is subjected substantially irrespective of the imposed lo-ad.'

The load deflection graph o f a rubber spring in shear has been observed to be substantially independent (within known limits) of the compression to which the rubber may be subjected While under load. f

Experiment has indicated that the upper limit of such compression is' inthe neighborhood of 200 pounds per square inch,.in other words, if a givenrubber spring in` shear supports a load of 100 pounds with a deflection of one-half an inch'when the rubber is free of compression, the same rubber spring will be deflected substantially an equal amount under the same load when the rubber has been placed under compression not to exceed approximately 200 pounds a square inch.

From a practical standpoint, the compression load must be applied to the rubber approximately at right angles to the supported load, inasso positioned as to carry the load inA shear. 'I'his principle may be availed of to afford substantially constant absorption of friction in a device such as set forth herein and such a device is eminently suitable for those conditions where it is desirable to maintain substantially constant absorption of friction under conditions prevail in railway carsA where it is desirable Vto obtain a substantially constant amount of frictional absorption under varying load conditions and in such cases my novel friction absorbing device may be availed of to accomplish the desired purpose. As far as of varying load.. Such i I am aware, no such friction absorbing device has ever before been described or used.

My novel device contemplates an arrangement where identical top and bottom followers may be used, said followers serving as seating means for opposite ends of the device and being formed with internal friction surfaces suitable for frictional engagement with friction shoes extending therebetween land maintained in operative vengagement therewith by a rubber spring in shear. developed by the use of heat treated cast steel followers 'and hard cast iron shoes which normally develop satisfactory friction surfaces when in engagement with eachother.

My invention comprehends such a form of resilient rubber pad functioning as a means of operating the device after closure, and also as a. means of obtaining substantially constant pressure between the friction shoes and the followers.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, half in section, of afri'ction absorbing devicev embodying my invention, the section vbeing taken substantially in the vertical plane bisecting the device as indicated by the line I-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a top plan view, half in section, of the snubber shown inFigure 1, the section being taken substantially in the horizontal plane bisecting the device and as indicated byline 2-2 of Figure 1. y

My novel friction absorbing device comprises identical top and bottom followers 2, 2, each a cup-like structure having a bottom Wall 4 flat on its outer face to afforda seat for the device, and with a central cavity 6 formed on the outer face of said Vwall to' serve as positioning means therefor when convenient. The base 4 is approximately circular lin form and the integral walls extending outwardly therefrom are approximately cylindrical, but assume somewhat polygonal vform at the operi end of the follower. Adjacent the base 4, openings 8, 8 are formed in the side walls to facilitate drainage and escape of any extraneous matter, andthe said side walls are formed with internal vertical cylindrical friction surfaces I 0, I l) relieved adjacent the base as at I2, I2 and adjacent the'open end of the follower as at I4, I4. Inwardly projecting lips I6, I6 may be formed at diametrically opposed portions of the side walls for abutment as at I8, I8 with annular shoulders 20, 20 formed at spaced intermediate points on each shoev 22. In the modification shown, each shoe 22 may be taken in the general form of a vertical section of a An eiiicient form of the device may be y cylinder.'

.thin complementary in form tothe inner face of the three such shoes being accommodated within the followers `and faces for complementary engagement with the before mentionedinternal friction surfaces IU,

i formed on. thefollowers.. The friction surfaces yof each shoe extend from opposite ends of the shoe inwardly t the relieved portion 24,

said relieved portions extending to the before- Y mentioned shoulders20, 20 which define the relatively thin central -porticn .of the shoey as indi.-

cated at '2.6.` Thus the:;frictional end` portion of each shoe 22 is relatively thick and heavy toA accommodate wear therealong, andthe middle portion of each shoe is relieved. as .at 26 to accommodate movement therealong of the interlocking lips i6, I8 already referred to.

My novel form of compression' and' release spring assembly generally indicated at 28 is convenientlyformed in halves in order torfacilitate manufacturing operations; The respective halves are identical and eaclr comprises a center spool or column 3.inthe1form 'of a small cylinder to which may be. vulcanized a plurality of resilient afforded friction surassauts into the end portions of the followers. The said distortion, however, will not appreciably affect the pressure exerted by said rubber pads against the friction shoes, and the friction developed bctween said shoes and the followers will be substantially constant. It may be noted that the internal surfaces oi.' the followers along which the rubber will flow as the device is compressed and released are afforded smooth radii as yat 48, 48, thus preventing the (abrasion of the resilient member. lThe friction faces on the followers and -onthe abutting shoes are co-extensive, and both the shoes and thefollowers are relieved at the edges of the friction surfaces in order to prevent pads 32, 32,1k each-here shown substantiallyy as a y section of. vthe cylinder` with diagonal faces at opposite ends thereof. On the outer cylindrical face of each pad32imaybe-vulcanized a relatively ylindricalU plate 34 whose outer face is abutting frictionshoest l The plates 34, 34 of the respective halves of. the resilientiunits 28'may seat againsteachother as at. 36, 36-along the horizontal plane bisecting the friction absorbingr device and the` oppositev extremitiesfof the plates formed on` the shoes 22, 22; y

rlt will be understood. that theplates 34, 34

may extend for thev length ofthe resilient element 2li` instead of being. formed in -halves abutting each other'as ati3,8,-.36, andthedevicewill func-- tion similarly vin either' case'fbut I have shown these external. plates 34, 34 as Vformed intwo.

halves in abutmentwith each `other in order to facilitatefthe manufacturing operation, V.My invention end of the resilient unit28.l

v 'I'heendwall 4 of each end followery 2 is formed with an internal ycentral positioning `lug 40y which may be received within the spool 3li` of theadjacent yend of the. resilient .unit 28,.'thus .fixing the position of said spool `with respect to said V.fol-- lower, .andthe said spool 30 ymay seat as at42 against the internally-projecting portion .44 of theiendwall4.-

. Asv alreadystated, each h alfof the`V resilient member28 may be formed. as afunit here shown as comprising a centerspool 30,-.`a plurality of re.- silient pads'vulcanzedtheretonbut spaced from 'each otheryas shown at 46,'46 and a -plate 34 vul-` canized. to the radially outer-face of each pad 32. The two halvesof-.thespring unit 28 of asingle` Yfriction absorbing device with the friction shoes 22, 22, may be assembledand clampedtogetherv so astoadmit them within the end followers after which thefclamprnay be released and the device is then ready for installation and operation.

thus contemplates an f arrangement. .wherein Athe plates 34, 34 extend from, 'end to the formation of shoulders therealong as the friction surfaces are worn down in operation. Some slight clearance isafforded between the vertical edges of the friction shoes as at 50, 50 (Figure 2) to facilitate assembly and to accommodate varying 'degrees of compression of the rubber springs.

The operation of the device will be readily.

understood by those skilled in the art. It may be noted that the resilient pads 32, 32 'of each spring unit`28 are placed in shear to'carry the vertical y-load and are placed under compression to expand rthe friction shoes outwardly against the friction surfaces of the housings. Theopposed annular inner ,edges or facesv oi' the followers afford. stop means limiting the length of the struc-4 ture, and may abut each other as at 52, 52. After assembly the part-s of the device are maintained in operative relationshipby the shoulders 20, 2|! on the shoes in abutment with the lips I6, i6 on the followers as already described.

' limited bythe exact embodiment of the device shown which is merely by way of illustration and v not limitation asvarious and other forms of the device will, ofcourse, be apparent to those skilled in the ari; without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or'the scope'of the claims.A

I claim:

1. In a friction absorbing device, top and bottom followers of cup-like form presenting substantially cylindrical'internal friction surfaces, frictionD shoes interlocked with said followers, each ofsaid shoes having friction faces in complementary engagement with the surfaces on said housings, and a resilient unit under compression between said shoes and said housings and comprising internal rigid members spaced longitudinally of said device, and external rigid members in` abutmentwith eachother centrally of said device, and resilient padsvulcanized between said rigid members; saidinternal rigid members having theirremote ends in abutment with said followers respectively, and said external rigid mem- 1 bershaving their remote ends in abutment with stop means on the adjacent shoes whereby said resilient pads are distorted in shear as said device is compressed. y

2. In a .friction absorbing device, spaced foli lowerspresenting internal friction surfaces with Figure l shows such a'devic'e after assembly iny "itsreleased positionwith. the rubber'L pads l32, 32

under'some degree of compression and therefor bulgingv at their free edges as may be noted at 46, 46. Ask the device is placed under loads-ind` ber pads 32, 321 willbe further distorted and willow into. thespaces therebetween as well as 'the followers move toward each other, the rub-V.

relieved areasv at the edges thereof, a plurality of spacedfriction shoes' interlocked with said followers Aand having externalfriction faces in complementary engagement with said surfaces and co-extensive therewith, relieved'areas adjacent the edges of said lfriction faces, a resilient unit in compression `between said shoes and said followers,fsaid yresilient unit including a pair of identical members each comprising a central rigid column xedwith. respect `to the adjacent follower, a plurality of external rigid members fixed wlthrespect to said shoes', vand spaced rubber It is to be understood that I do not wish to bev 2,336,969 pads vulcanized between the respective external members and the adjacent portions of said column and under compression therebetween.

3. In a frictlon'absorbing device, spaced identical vfollowers Vpresenting internal friction surfaces wlth relieved areas at the edges thereof, a plurality of spaced friction shoes interlocked with saiolfollowers and having external friction faces in complementary engagement with said surfaces, and a resilient unit in compression between said shoes and said followers, said resilient unit comprising identical end portions each having internal and external rigid members with a plurality of spaced rubber pads vulcanized therebetween, said internal rigid member being fixed with respect to the adjacent follower, and said external rigid member being fixed with respect to said shoes so that the intervening rubber pad *is distorted lin shear as said device is compressed.

4. In a friction absorbing device, top and bottom followers having internal friction surfaces, a plurality of friction shoes interlocked with said followers and having friction faces in complementary engagement with said-surfaces, and a resilient unit under compression between said followers and shoes and comprising internal and external rigid members and resilient pads vulcanized therebetween, said internal rigid members having engagement with said followers and said external rigid members having abutment withieach other and fixed relationship with said shoes whereby compression of said device places said resilient padsin shear, and said p ads operate to release said device after compression and to maintain said shoes in frictional engagement with said followers.l

5. In'a friction absorbing device, top and bottom followers of cup-like form presenting substantially cylindrical internal friction surfaces, friction shoes interlocked with said followers, each of said shoes having friction faces in complementary engagement with the surfaces on said housings, and a resilient unit under compression between said shoes and said housings and comprising internal rigid members spacedlongitudinally of said device, and external rigid members in abutment with each other centrally of said device, and resilient pads vulcanized between said rigid members, said external rigid members having xed relationship with the adjacent shoes whereby said resilient pads are flexed in shear as said device is compressed.

6. In a friction absorbing device, top and bottom housings of cup-like form presenting substantially cylindrical internal friction surfaces, friction shoes interlocked with said followers, each'of said shoes having frictionfacesl in complementary engagementwith the surfaces on said housings, and a resilient unit under compression between said shoes and said housings and comprising internal rigid members spaced longitudinally of said device, and external rigid members in abutment with each other centrally of said device, and resilient pads kvulcanized between said `rigid members, said resilient pads' being radially spaced from each other to permit column,

and said followers, said resilient unit being formed as a pair of identical members, each `oi said identical members having anl internal rigid and a plurality of spaced external rigid members fixed with respectv to said shoes, and

spaced rubber pads vulcanizedI respectively bei tween said external rigid members and said internal rigid column.

8. In a friction absorbing device, end followers presenting internal friction surfaces defined by relieved areas, friction shoes interlocked with said followers and having friction faces in com-l plementary engagement with said surfaces and substantially co-extensive therewith, and acomposite resilient element under compression between said followers and shoes, s'aidA resilient element comprising identical portions associated withthe respective followers, each portion having a rigid central member fixed with respect to the Iadjacent follower, a rigid external member fixed with respect to the adjacent shoes, and 4a rubber pad vulcanized between said rigid members and under compression therebetween. h 9. In a. friction absorbing device, end followers presenting substantially cylindrical in-` ternal friction surfaces and relieved areas adjacent the edges of said surfaces, a plurality of spaced friction shoes interlocked with said followers and presenting at their opposite ends friction faces in complementary,engagementwith the friction surfaces of the respective followers,

a resilient unit under compression between said shoes and followers and comprising internal rigid elements in engagement with said followers, and

external rigid elements fixed with respect to said shoes, and a resilient pad compressed between said rigid elementsv and subjected to shearfzdis-- tortion as said device is compressed.

10. In a friction absorbing device, spaced'identical followers of cup-like form presenting internal friction surfaces with relieved areas at the edges thereof, a plurality of spaced friction shoes interlocked with said followers and having external friction faces in complementary engagement `with said surfaces-and co-extensive therewith, relieved areas adjacent the edges of said further compression thereof as said device is placed under load.

7. In a friction absorbing device, spaced folfriction faces, and a resilient unit in compression between said shoes and said followers and comprising internal rigid elements fixed with respect to said followers, externalrigid elements fixed with respect to said shoes, and a resilient pad vulcanized between said rigidelements and compressed therebetween.I y y.'

11. In a friction absorbing device, identicalvend followers presentingy generally cylindrical interl nal friction surfaces` defined by relieved areas, a

plurality of spaced friction shoes interlocked withsaid followers and having complementary friction faces in engagement with saidjsurfaccs and co-extensive therewith, aresilient: unit'under compression. between said shoes and followers,

said resilient unit comprising a pair of elements .f

and each element havingan internal rigid column*v fixed with respect tothe adjacent follower,

' a plurality of external rigid members fixed with respectto said shoes, andspaced rubber pads vulcanized between the respective external members'and said rigid column.

l2. In a friction absorbing device, end followers presenting internal friction surfaces dened by'relieved areas, a plurality of friction shoes interlocked with said followers, eachshoe having at its remote ends friction faces in `complementary engagement with said friction surfaces, and a composite resilient element under i 4 compression between said followers and shoesand 'comprising spaced internal rigid [columns nxed 'with respect to therespective followers, rigid'exytween said v rigid members. l

15.. In a friction absorbing'device, top and bot-4 ternal columns abuttingeach other and fixed with vrespect to saidfshoes, andv spaced rubber A pads vulcanized betweensaidirigid columns at `each endof'the device. Y 13.` In a' friction absorbing device, end followers presenting substantially cylindrical internal friction surfaces and relieved areas adjacent the edges of said surfaces, a plurality of ,f spaced fricztion shoes interlocked with said followers and presenting at their opposite ends friction faces in complementary engagement with the friction surfaces of the respective followers,

J a resilient' unit under` compression between said feshoesand followers Vand comprising internal rigid elements in engagement with said followers, and

external rigid elements fixed with respect to said shoes, anda resilient pad compressed between said .rigid:elements.

'14. Ina friction absorbingdevice, top and bottom followers of cup-like formpresenting vsuhi stantially cylindrical internal 'friction surfaces, friction shoesinterlocked with said followers,

- each' of`said shoes having friction faces in com-f plernentary engagement with the surfaces Yon said followers," and a resilient unit under compression between said shoes and said followers and comprisingin'ternal rigid members spaced longitudinally 0f said device,4 and external rigid members in abutment with veach other centrally of said device, andresilient pads vulcanized betom followers having internalfriction surfaces,

` a 'plurality of friction shoes interlocked with said followers and having friction faces in comple-' mental-y engagement with'said surfaces, and a resilient unit under compression between said followersand shoes and comprising internal and external Irigid members and resilient pads vulcanized.therebetweemsaid internal rigid members having engagement with said followers, and said external rigidfmembers having abutment with eachother andexed relationship with said shoes.A j l, l l f 16. 'Ina frictionabsorbingdevice, endk followers presenting'internal friction surfaces of substantially cylindrical form, a plurality of fricr tion shoes interlocked ,between said followers-v with' friction faces engaging said surfacesjand k a'composite resilient element'- under compression betweensaid shoesand followers and comprising an external-substantially rigid'column fixed with respect to said slices, spaced yinternal rigid columns fixed to the respective followers, and a plurality of spaced" resilient: pads compressed between each'internal column 'and said external column. y V 17. In a friction 'absorbing device, spaced identical followers presenting internal friction-suraaeaeec with said followers and having friction faces in complementary engagement with said surfaces. and a composite resilient element under compression between said followers and said shoes and including spaced internal rigid columns fixed to the respectiveollowers and external rigid columns fixed with respect to said shoes. and a resilient member vulcanized between said columns.

19. In a friction device, end followers presenting internal friction surfaces, spaced friction shoes interlocked with said followers and presenting friction faces in complementaryengagement withsaid surfaces, and a resilient unit under compression between said shoes and followers and comprising internal rigid elements movable with said followers respectively and external rigid elements fixed with respect to said shoes, and resilient means exed between said internal' and external elements. 20. In avsnubber, top and bottom followers presenting internal friction surfaces, friction shoes interlocked with said followers and having friction faces engaging said surfaces, and a resilient unit compressed by said shoes and said followers and comprising spaced rigid members and a flexible member joining said rigid members.

k21. In a snubber, spaced followers having internal friction surfaces, friction shoes interlocked with the followers and presenting friction faces 'engaging said surfaces, and a resilient unit compressed by said shoes and followers, said unit comprising a rigid member engaging a follower, a rigid member engaging/a shoe, and a resilient member flexed between said-rigid members. i.

22. Ina snubber, top and bottom followers having friction surfaces, friction shoes interlocked `between said followers with friction faces engaging said surfacesjand a compositeresilient 18; In'a'friction Vabsorbing device, spaced followerspresenting internal friction surfaces defined by relieved areas, friction shoes interlooked unit compressed by said shoes and followers and comprising an external rigid column fixed with respect to said shoes, an internal rigid column fixed with respect to a follower, and a4 resilient means flexible between said columns.

`23. In a snubber, opposite followers with friction surfaces, friction shoes engaging said surfaces, and a resilient unit compressed by said shoes and followers and comprising identical end portions each having internal and external rigid members with a resilient member flexed therebetween.

24. In a ,snubber,v spacedfollowers with friction surfaces, friction shoes engagingsaid surfaces, and a composite resilient unit compressed by said followers and shoes and including a rigid column xedwith respect to a follower, a rigid column xed with respect to a shoe, and resilient means flexed between said columns.

yrigid means secured to respective followers and extending between said shoes, and resilient means compressed between nd fixed to each rigid means and said shoes.

, CARL E. TACK. 

